


It's a Wonderful Life

by amukmuk



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Star Wars Secret Santa 2020, Winter Solstice, holiday fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:16:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28262250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amukmuk/pseuds/amukmuk
Summary: Fox and Riyo celebrate the Winter Solstice.
Relationships: Riyo Chuchi/CC-1010 | Fox
Comments: 12
Kudos: 51





	It's a Wonderful Life

**Author's Note:**

> For @aeskanera - I really hope you like this!! <333 Happy Holidays! <333
> 
> This takes place in the post order-66 au I've written, but you don't have to read any of those works to know what is going on.

Life after Order-66 hadn’t been easy. In fact, it had been unbearable at moments. For a while, neither of them slept, too terrified to let the other from their sight or to slip into unconsciousness where there were surely more horrors waiting for them. 

But as she carefully unboxes her one and only Chuchi heirloom - her golden hair piece came from her mother’s side of the family - she lets a little bit of hope flair in her stomach. On Pantora, they celebrate the Winter Solstice. It is the longest and darkest time of the year, the sun never once braving to pass above the horizon. Instead, every day is spent in complete darkness, with just the stars and the distant light of Orto Plutonia to light their way. 

Here, on the backwater planet that she and Fox now call home, that is not the case, but she hopes to carry the tradition with them, nonetheless. Winter Solstice is all about remembering what is lost, cherishing what is had, and celebrating the dawn at the end of the week - a physical and metaphorical representation of the birth of a new time. 

So, she dusts off the golden candelabra, consisting of seven prongs, and at the base is a crescent moon and sun. In the bottom of the box are seven different wax candlesticks carefully wrapped in satin. 

“So I’m thinking I can have the air filter back up and running--” Fox stops short, seeing her gingerly holding her most prized possession. “What’s that?” He asks, sauntering up behind her, wiping his greasy hands on a faded red shop cloth. 

“It’s the Winter Solstice candelabra,” she mutters, rubbing her thumb against some of the tarnish. 

“Looks vaguely like the thing you knocked me over the head with. Should I be concerned about a round two?” He laughs humorlessly. 

“No,” she smiles. “I wouldn’t want to break my candelabra.” 

His lopsided smirk turns into an open-jawed look of mock-offense. “Are you saying I’m hard-headed?” 

“Well, I’m certainly not saying that my candelabra is fragile.” It is, but she likes seeing him happy like this. It feels like ages since they have traded the rapid-fire banter that they bonded over in the halls of the Senate building or in the quiet confines of his office. 

She turns to him and presses a gentle kiss on his stubbly cheek. “I think we should celebrate the Winter Solstice.” 

He nods. “I’m not certain how.” 

“It’s okay. I’ll teach you.” 

The smile twists the edges of his lips again. “I’d like that.” 

~

Riyo carefully sets their candelabra in their front window. On the first prong on the left side of the candelabra she places the long, black candle. Each one is a different color, meant to represent the value celebrated that day. Today, it happens to be death. The first day of the Solstice is always spent mourning the ones lost, and celebrating the lives they had here before they ‘marched on’ as Fox had put it. 

After breakfast they clean up the dishes and she sits with him in front of the candelabra. 

“So what do we do?” He asks, sitting with her on the floor. 

“Well, we remember all who we have lost this year and we light the candle while saying the remembrance prayer.”

He nods slowly. “In Mando’a, we have something very similar, but we recite everyone’s names first.”

With an approving nod, she says, “You start.”

“Wolf’ika,” he croaks.

“Padmé Amidala.”

“Cody.”

“Ahsoka Tano.”

They go on like this for hours. She runs out of names far faster than he does. He goes through every brother he has lost this year, and there are many. Finally when the tears have dried and their voices are hoarse with grief, they light the candle. 

“May the sun bring us energy everyday, bringing light into the darkness of our souls. May the moon softly restore us, bringing restful sleep and peaceful dreams. May the rain wash away our worries, and cleanse the hurt that weighs on our hearts. May the breeze blow new strength into our being, and may we once again believe in the courage of ourselves. May we walk gently through the world, keeping our loved one with us always, knowing that they have never parted from the beating of our hearts,” Riyo concludes in a hoarse whisper, setting down the smoldering match. 

Wrapped in each other’s embrace, they sit there well into the afternoon and only when the sun begins to kiss the horizon once more do they gather themselves and go to bed. 

~

“So,” Fox begins as they clear away their breakfast dishes. “What is today?” 

Riyo pulls out the light blue candle and sets it on the next stem of the candelabra. “Today is the day of healing. We’ve been through a lot this year and… and this day is meant to remind us that we never walk through trials alone.”

Fox nods slowly. “Well, you’ll never be alone so long as I have a say in it,” he vows - ever steadfast. 

A small smile curves his lips and peace settles over her like a warm blanket. 

Reverently, she uses the flame of the black candle to light the blue one. “Oh goddess, ease our pain, mend what is broken and bring wholeness to us once more. Catch our babies when they are born and guide us when we mourn. Heal our hearts so that we may see the gifts you bestow upon our clan.” 

They watch the flame in silence for a few moments before Fox turns to her and whispers, “Tell me more about how you celebrate the solstice.”

She sits back against him and he curls his arm around her. “Well, we always used to decorate. We would drape gold fabric over all of the tables and light hundreds of candles. Looking back on it, it’s probably terribly dangerous. But, the legend says that flames guide back the sun, so we light as many as possible.”

“What is the legend?” Fox inquires, his hand absent-mindedly rubbing up and down her arm. 

“The Sun God and Moon Goddess were deeply in love. However, the great force of the galaxy called Him away to war, leaving the fledgling tribes of Pantora in complete darkness. She wept and begged the people to light every candle, every flame they could muster to guide him home. Despite all of the power she possessed, the force that maintained all, but she possessed no light. Without her partner, she could bring no crops to harvest, nor provide an environment safe for her people to work. 

“Day after day, people lit candles and fires praying for the Sun God to return home. And, on the seventh day when every flame was ablaze, he returned home to her. However, every year for seven days he must serve in battles across the galaxy. And every year the people of Pantora light flames to guide him home.” 

“That’s…” He clears his throat. “That’s actually a really beautiful story.”

She nods. “Indeed, a shame really that we don’t have more candles.” Reluctantly, she rises to her feet and offers a helping hand. Hauling him to his feet, she says, “I told the ladies next door I would come and help with the quilt they are making. Will you be okay alone for the next few hours?”

He shrugs. “I was planning on going to the shop today anyway,” he bends down and kisses her on the cheek. “Have a good day.”

“You too,” she smiles.

~

Sewing with the women had been fun, she supposes, but she is grateful to be on her way home. She pulls her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she walks down the red dirt road; it almost reminds her of home, if this planet wasn’t so dry, that is. The air here is cold, the kind of cold that would warrant a snowstorm on Pantora, but she isn’t certain if this planet shares the same weather patterns as her home world. 

She steps through the threshold of their home, sliding off her shoes on the patchy mat by the door and looks up to find a rather shocked Fox, elbow deep in a box. “What…” She trails off as she further examines the scene. 

Fox has his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and is rummaging through a box. Several unlit candles sit on their kitchen table and mismatched fabric in warm hues lay across the chairs. 

“I wasn’t expecting you home so early,” he says by way of explanation. 

“What are you doing?” She asks. The question probably comes across as rude, but she is genuinely at a loss. What could he possibly be doing with a bunch of mismatched fabric and candles?

He turns dark red and stammers, “I-I wanted to decorate… for you… for the Solstice… I know it means a lot to you and that you miss home and I wanted to do something special.” 

“Where did you get all of this?” She inquires, stepping up to the table and investigating the candles. They have all been previously lit and some of them are a little stubby because of it. 

“Do you remember Madame Rori? The really old lady that stops by just to watch me work on the speeder?” 

Yes. Yes she does remember that thirsty old hag. 

“I may have fixed literally every broken thing in her house in exchange for all of her candles and fabric with just some mild discomfort while she ogled me.” 

“Fox you didn’t have to do that,” she whispers. 

“I wanted to,” he bends down to catch her downcast eyes. “I’m serious. I wanted to. I want to celebrate with you.”

She beams. “Would you like to help me decorate?”

“I’d want nothing more,” he smiles. 

They turn on the radio and get to work. The fabric isn’t gold like what they use on Pantora, instead it is sunshine yellow and orange and copper-colored. She doesn’t mind, though, as they drape fabric over their meager furnishings. Fox smiles and laughs with her and she is certain she has never heard more beautiful sounds.

Her body vibrates with all the love she has for her darling husband - her stomach swooshes with butterflies and her blood warms with affection - as rushes towards him to place an open-mouthed kiss on his brilliant smile. 

He catches her effortlessly and returns her kiss. “What is that for?” He asks, rubbing his thumb over her tattoos. 

“Because you are simply the best.” She presses her lips to his once more, pulling him closer. 

~

The next day is the day of hope. Riyo lights the green candle for them and murmurs the quiet prayer of hope for a better and brighter future. Fox is really enjoying this Solstice Holiday. He doesn’t have much experience with celebrations nor does he have anything to which he could compare this, but he likes the way he feels warm every morning they light a candle together. 

He also likes that Riyo is smiling more. When she came home and saw him attempting to decorate yesterday, even behind the initial shock, the way her face lit up made his heart swoop with excitement. 

“So what else do you do to celebrate the solstice?” He asks, trying to play off any plans he may have. They are low on credits, a fact that is not new, but he had found a way to make it work yesterday. He would do anything to make her smile like that every day. 

She hums in thought before she says, “Well, my mom and I used to bake cinnamon buns for the holiday and… and we usually exchange gifts.”

He nods. “Why don’t we make some cinnamon buns today?” 

She looks to him with an eyebrow arched. “Are you sure? Don’t you have stuff to fix?” 

He shrugs. He does, his entire business quite literally depends upon the speed of his repairs, but that’s not really what is important right now. “I think I can spare some time to bake with you.”

A smile slowly blooms on her face and his stomach flips with joy. “Okay!” Before he knows it, he is being drug up to his feet and into their modest kitchen where Riyo starts gathering her supplies. 

“The first thing we need to do is warm the milk,” she retrieves the container from their refrigerator and pours it into a sauce pan. 

“Do you need a measuring cup?” He asks. He has watched her bake other things before where she meticulously measures every ingredient. 

She scoffs. “I have had this recipe memorized for years. Measuring cups are for the uncertain.”

He nods, he definitely falls in the ‘uncertain’ category. “So I’ll do the mixing then?” 

She chuckles. “Of course.” 

She tosses all the ingredients into the bowl and hands him a spoon where he happily begins mixing together the concoction. 

“You keep working on the dough,” she orders, “and when everything is mixed together, put flour on your hands and the counter and knead it for ten minutes.”

“What are you going to do?” He asks, reaching over to turn on the radio before his hands get messy. A soft jazz song warms the air as she pulls spices from the cabinet. 

“I’m going to work on the filling,” she answers easily, already pouring spices into the yellow mixing bowl. 

Humming softly along to the song currently playing, Fox kneads the dough with a little guidance from her and begins rolling it out once she approves the consistency. 

“Would you look at that,” she smiles as he rolls out the dough. Slowly but surely it is rolling out into a flat, rectangular-ish shape that she said she needed. 

“Does it look okay?” He asks. He can repair almost anything and he knows more than enough ways to kill someone, but when it comes to baking, he is utterly clueless. 

“It looks perfect!” She kisses his cheek. “There may be hope for you yet.” 

~

On the fourth day Riyo lights a golden candle and prays for prosperity. Really, they have a lot to be thankful for in this regard. They moved to this backwater planet with little hopes for their financial prospects, but as it turned out, the town in which they landed didn’t have a mechanic or a proper school teacher - so Fox and Riyo quickly took up those respective roles and have been living a sort of happily ever after ever since. 

Fox greatly considers it to be a happily ever after, anyway. He gets to wake every morning with the love of his life and hasn’t thought of carrying a blaster in weeks. He gets to make cinnamon buns with her and laugh when he asks to sample the icing and she instead swipes it on his nose. Every day with her is a wonderful gift, one he never once fathomed having. 

“So I need to go shopping today, we need more eggs and vegetables,” Riyo says as she braids her hair. 

“I’ll go with you,” he says simply, standing from bed and pulling on the first shirt he finds. 

It doesn’t smell of motor oil so it must be clean. 

Turning, she gives him one of her million-credit smiles. “I’d like that very much.” 

So, off they go. The weather is chilly, not quite as cool as Pantora, but he finds himself pulling the collar of his jacket up higher to buffer some of the wind, anyway. They step into an old warehouse that houses the farmer’s market in winter months and Riyo wanders up to various vendors, all of whom know her by name, and purchases whatever she needs, but only after inquiring about the vendor's children. 

They are on holiday break right now - the people here don’t celebrate the Solstice, but something else entirely - leaving Riyo feeling a little lost, he knows. They both lived for their work back on Coruscant, not much has changed here. Except, their work here is far less stressful - he might even make the argument to say it is ‘fun’. 

As they make their way back out of the warehouse and down the street they peer into various shop windows that are decorated for their holiday in deep greens and silvers. In one window, though, Fox sees the perfect shawl for Riyo. He tries to be discreet, but even he can’t hide his shock when he eyes the price tag - several hundred credits and well out of his price range. 

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Riyo sighs, admiring the shawl. 

“I was hoping to maybe get it for you as a gift, but…” He trails off, no sense in talking about how they have just enough to afford to keep their house heated and bellies full. 

She scoffs and begins dragging him away, “I don’t want any gifts this year.”

“Why not?” He is bound and determined to make this year special for her; a year without presents just feels… wrong in a way that he can’t really describe. He has never known the joy of giving and receiving presents on a holiday, but it was something normal for her. 

“Because I have already received the greatest gift I could ask for,” she replies. 

“What?” Before he can begin to mentally list everything he has given her this year, which isn’t much, she answers:

“You.”

~

The light coming through the window is whiter than normal and it makes Fox’s stomach churn - white means sterility, it means pain - as he leaps from bed and to the window. Everything is covered in  _ white _ . 

“Fox?” He hears from behind him. He doesn’t think that this is her first time calling his name, but he is speechless. 

“Is… this snow?” He asks, pulling open the curtain. 

Stepping behind him, she giggles, “Yes!”

The once red soil is covered in glistening white and crystalline icicles hang from the gutters of their home. The word is silent and serene - the birds that had once chirped every morning are laying dormant and even the townspeople have tucked themselves away for the winter. 

“Have you ever seen snow?” Riyo asks, gently touching his elbow. 

He shakes his head. “No.” 

“Then let’s go outside! Come on.” She grabs his arm and drags him out of the bedroom. 

They dress in layers and exit the house in record fashion, Riyo giggling with excitement as they steps across the threshold. “I love this kind of weather,” she sighs. 

Fox thinks it to be rather cold, but he has really only existed in temperature controlled environments, whereas she grew up in the frozen marshes of Pantora. “It’s nice,” he says, suppressing a shiver. 

“Do you want to build a snowman?” She asks. 

“A what?” 

“A snowman.”

“I… don’t know how.”

“That’s okay,” she smiles. “I can show you.” 

Crouching down, she starts packing some snow together. He joins her and manages to only grimace a little when the icy water seeps into the knit of his gloves. “Like this?” He asks, as he packs his own snowball. 

“Perfect! This is excellent snow for building,” she says. “Okay, I have the base built, now we just need to roll your ball on top.” 

He heaves it up and Riyo sets off making a head. Handing it to him, he sets it on top and she packs a little extra snow around each of the spheres to better secure them. 

“Now we just need,” she looks around. “These will work!” She pulls two stems of dead night lilies from their garden and shoves it on either side of the torso. “And we need something to make some eyes.”

“I think I have something,” Fox darts off to the garage, only slipping on the ice once, and returns with two gears. “Will these work?” 

“Oh they’re perfect!” She gently presses them into the head and uses a delicate finger to draw in a smile. “What should we use for a nose? His face looks empty without one.” 

Fox considers the snowman’s face and looks around their snow covered front yard. “What about this?” He grabs a berry from their holly bush and hands it to her. “It’s kind of small, but it could work.”

“I love it,” she presses the nose onto the snowman and smiles at their handiwork. “He looks rather lovely. What should we name him?”

“Would it be unoriginal to say Frosty?” He asks. He’s pretty certain he knew a kid named Frosty - he wasn’t in the Corrie Guard, but the name sounds familiar nonetheless. 

“Frosty the Snowman, it’s wonderful.” He admires their handiwork as well, only vaguely aware of Riyo crouching down beside him. Icy wetness hits him in the shoulder and he stumbles back, looking for an immediate threat. 

The only threat apparent is one impish Riyo, a devious smile turning up her lips as she crouches down and packs another ball of snow. 

“ _ What _ are you doing?” Fox asks, dodging her next toss that, in truth, went a little wide. 

“Snowball fight!” She chirps. 

“What?” He reels back.

“You need to throw snow back at me if you want to win!” She throws another ball at him, just managing to graze his hip. 

Well, in that case. He reaches down and throws snow at her with deadly precision. She squeals as it gets under her coat but doesn’t lessen her onslaught. 

Only when they are well and truly soaked do they go inside. After they change, Riyo makes them hot chocolate, and warms some cinnamon buns for breakfast. They meet in the living room where she lights a light pink candle and murmurs a soft prayer for happiness. 

~

The week of the winter solstice is coming to a close with only two more candles needing lit. They settle in with their cups of preferred morning beverage - Riyo likes her tea and Fox is unable to break his habit of caf first thing in the morning - and light and dark purple candle. 

“Oh Goddess, bring us peace. Let us live together in harmony during our short time in this vast galaxy. Open our eyes to your blessings, guide us through the darkness. And bring us peace during this winter solstice.” 

Outside, snow steadily falls, but inside the air is warm and smelling of cinnamon. Having nothing to do, with it being the weekend, they light all of their decorative candles in their living room and curl up on the couch under piles of quilts. They sit and read for hours, in the peaceful silence of the home they made together, with their legs intertwined and their souls at ease. 

~

“Today is the last day of Solstice,” Riyo says as they enter the living room for the morning. 

“What does the candle represent today?” He asks, sitting next to her in front of the candelabra. 

She carefully pulls out the white candle. “Today is the day of the new year. On Pantora, the sun would return today and we would celebrate new beginnings. There isn’t any particular prayer for today, but it is typically spent with family and friends as we plan for new things in the coming year.” 

He nods. “I’d like to fix up some of the things broken in the house,” he says, looking around at the cracks in the ceiling. 

“I’d like… well…” she trails off. 

“What?” He asks, bending to catch her eyes. 

“I’d just like to continue growing, healing, and being happy with you.” 

“I’d like that,” he whispers, resting his forehead against hers, “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” she murmurs and kisses him. 

Times had been hard for a long while, but it is not a permanent state, the Winter Solstice reminded them. Through their undying love and strength they will weather any storm, laughing and baking, and enjoying the silence of the other’s company. Fox and Riyo have been many things throughout their lifetimes - Commander, Senator, Mechanic, Teacher - but now they are happy and will continue to do so for many Solstices to come. 

**Author's Note:**

> In order to make up this fictional star wars holiday, I pulled from a ton of different cultures around the world (I even went as far to look at color maps and what different colors represent in different cultures). I hope you all enjoyed and thank you for reading! <333


End file.
